In general, a stereoscopic imaging device is a device capable of creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image. That is, stereoscopy is a technique for creating the illusion of depth in a two-dimensional image, thereby allowing a viewer to perceive the three-dimensional vividness and reality by use of the illusion of depth in the image. According to general stereoscopic imaging devices using the above technique, the same images when respectively seen from left and right eyes of a viewer are combined with each other with a time difference to give one stereoscopic image to the viewer.
One example of the stereoscopic imaging device is disclosed in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0926693 (Publication Date: Nov. 17, 2009) entitled “Apparatus for Watching Stereoscopic Image.”
The Apparatus for watching the stereoscopic image according to the related art includes a first display module which displays a left image, a second display module which displays a right image, a half mirror which allows any one of the left image displayed from the first display module and the right image displayed from the second display module to penetrate, and reflects the other one of the left image and the right image, and an ocular part which selectively provides the left image penetrated or reflected from the half mirror to a left eye of a user, and selectively provides the right image penetrated or reflected from the half mirror to a right eye of the user.
With the above configuration, the apparatus for watching the stereoscopic image according to the related art can create the stereoscopic image by separately displaying the left image and the right image by use of the half mirror.
The apparatus for watching the stereoscopic image according to the related art combines an opaque real image which penetrates the half mirror having low transmissivity and then is provided by the second display module, and a virtual image which is reflected by the half mirror and then is provided by the first display module, to give perception of 3D depth to a viewer. Therefore, there is a problem in that since the stereoscopic image is not sharp, vividness and sense of reality are lowered.
Also, the apparatus for watching the stereoscopic image according to the related art has another problem in that, even though only the image of the first display module is provided so as to give the viewer the two-dimensional image, the second display module which does not provide the image penetrates the half mirror, and thus the viewer who watches the image can perceive the second unnecessary display, thereby lowering the quality of the two-dimensional image.
In addition, the apparatus for watching the stereoscopic image according to the related art cannot provide various visual effects, thereby lowering the sense of reality and thus lowering the interest.